Model building saves energy

SHANGHAI - Shanghai now has the world's most energy-efficient building, thanks to the Hamburg House, the German city's independent pavilion at the Urban Best Practices Area at Expo 2010 Shanghai.

Hamburg's mayor Ole von Beust was in Shanghai on Monday to mark Hamburg Day and promote the city's building concept known as the passive house, a concept widely applied in Hamburg's model of its environmentally friendly community Harbor City.

"As the first certified passive house in China, Hamburg House possesses great prospects," said Beust. "Although the building is a little more expensive to build at the beginning, much more will be saved in the long term, and it can adapt to all climate zones in China."